Ride to Farm 2017 will be held on Saturday, June 3rd at New Glarus Woods State Park.

Join us for about 60 miles of riding through beautiful Green County, Wisconsin, with refreshment breaks at two grass-based farms.The 2017 ride will depart at 8:30am from, and end at, New Glarus Woods State Park. Registration will start at 7:45am. The morning farm stop will be Morning Dew Dairy in Argyle, WI and the afternoon stop will be at Green Fire Farm in Monticello, WI.

Retiring farmers are leaving farming at a much faster rate than new farmers are starting. Our school meets the critical need to train, mentor, and support Wisconsin’s next generation of dairy and livestock farmer stewards who will work to ensure the availability of local food and healthy rural communities. Our dairy and livestock seminar emphasizes low-capital, environmentally friendly, grass-based dairy farming. About 450 students have attended the school and more than 75 percent of its graduates are farming today!

Donations will go to support WSBDF and be used in a variety of ways, including:

Tuition scholarships and internship expenses

Scholarships for student travel to conferences

Honoraria for farmers who help teach this course

Long-term support for the school through its endowment at the UW-Madison

2017 Ride Highlights:

There is no entry fee for Ride to Farm. However, all riders age 12 and older are required to raise at least $75 in order to participate in this event. IF YOU DO NOT MEET THIS GOAL BY MAY 31st, 2017, YOU WILL NOT BE ALLOWED TO RIDE. We strongly encourage riders to exceed this fundraising goal.

Rider teams are also strongly encouraged! We will have fabulous prizes for both the individual top fundraisers and the rider teams that raise the most money. So be sure to bring your friends! (Rider teams must raise at least $75 per rider by May 31st to participate.)

There will be rest stops (with local foods, snacks and water available) on two grass-based farms. Lunch is on your own, but the official lunch stop is in Monroe at Culver's - one of our generous sponsors. If you prefer to ride half of the course, you can either start your ride at New Glarus Woods State Park and end your ride at Culver's restaurant, or start at Culver's in Monroe and end at the park.

Want to join in the fun without riding? Ride to Farm needs volunteers to help the day of the event with registration, rider support and rest stops. We also need volunteers to help mark the route the day before the ride. If you'd like to help out, contact Nadia Alber at nalber@wisc.edu or (608) 265-6437. (If you're planning to ride and volunteer, you can sign up to help when your register.)

After the ride, please join us for an awards ceremony starting around 3pm. Please come enjoy drinks, food and camaraderie at New Glarus Woods State Park shelter. Families are welcome to join us for the post-ride fun!